The field of the disclosure relates generally to video noise reduction and more specifically, to methods and systems for applying video noise filters.
At least some known video systems acquire data from an imaging sensor and produce a video signal based on the data. For example, the data may be sampled periodically to create frames of data, and the frames may be combined to create a video. Some known video systems may also apply one or more noise reduction filters, such as a high-pass filter, to each frame to improve the quality of the video signal.
However, known methods of noise reduction apply to an entire frame without regard to the content of the frame and without regard to previous frames. Accordingly, a significant feature, such as a suddenly-appearing object, may be incorrectly filtered (e.g., softened or blurred), hindering the ability of an observer to detect the feature. Further, some types of imaging sensors, such as passive millimeter wavelength (PMMW) sensors, produce significant amounts of noise that cannot be removed by known filtering methods without imposing a substantial loss of video fidelity. Such limitations may negatively affect the ability of a human or automated operator to pilot a vehicle using imaging sensors, for example.